The Play and Playground Encyclopedia

National Toy Hall of Fame

Ed Sobey, who was the first director of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, founded the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998.1 Originally located in Salem, Oregon, within the A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village, the National Toy Hall of Fame was purchased in 2002 by the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum, later known as The Strong, and moved to Rochester, New York.2 It is one of the five play partners of The Strong.

The National Toy Hall of Fame recognizes toys and games that inspire creative play over multiple generations. Toys can be nominated by anyone for the Hall of Fame, and they are then selected by historians and educators according to four criteria:

This last factor, innovation, can outweigh all the other criteria if the toy has made an industry changing contribution. An example of this is the Atari 2600 Game System, which was inducted in 2007.

The National Toy Hall of Fame began by honoring Crayola Crayons, Barbie, the Erector Set, the Etch a Sketch, Frisbee, LEGOs, marbles, Monopoly, Play-Doh, the Teddy bear, and Tinkertoys in 1998. The Erector Set was of special significance since the A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village that housed the National Toy Hall of Fame was named after the inventor of the Erector Set.4

Since 1998, the National Toy Hall of Fame has generally honored two or three toys each year, including such classics as the Hula Hoop, G.I. Joe, Candy Land, Tonka Trucks, Duncan Yo-Yo, View-Master, Radio Flyer Wagon, and the Slinky. They have also honored a general category of toys, such as the bicycle, playing cards, alphabet blocks, kites, cardboard boxes, the blanket, and the stick.5

Situated in its own gallery within The Strong, the National Toy Hall of Fame is an interactive gallery where guests can play and explore with the inducted toys. For example, they might race a Slinky down a staircase, dress up a giant Mr. Potato Head, play with Lincoln Logs, try out a Hula Hoop, or observe a Lionel Train display.6

This year nearly 600,000 guests will visit The Strong and its National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. With plenty to delight the senses and exercise the muscles they won’t have a passive experience. The museum offers opportunities to climb, to negotiate a tilted room for comical...

“Why are you running away, Jack?” Out came a jumble of pent-up frustrations about being horrible at football, having to clean his room all the time, and never getting to do what he wants to do. “Mommy,” he sighed, “I just want to play.”

The Slinky toy has been enjoyed by generations of children since its introduction in 1946. It is a simple toy made of a coiled spring that is advertised with words to describe the many actions children can make it do: walk, bounce, spring, juggle, flip, and jiggle.